Patricio O'Ward National Day: 13th in Mexico City GP practice

Patricio O'Ward emerged from the pits more than 30 minutes after the end of Practice 1. He walked down the tunnel with a serious expression and gave a modest smile. The Mexican driver parked his MCL39 car in 13th place, accompanied by the cheers of his fans and those of Checo Pérez at the racetrack.

Pato's seriousness reflected the degree of difficulty of his race, as he had to recover from a 19th-place finish over the laps. He also allegedly ran sick from food poisoning and ended up in the pits at the Medical Center.

That was the Friday of the only Mexican on the track, completing his second consecutive year of practice with the team. This time, he rode in the seat of Lando Norris, who is second in the Drivers' Championship, with four races remaining in the season (excluding the Mexico GP).

“The fans are special, and I'm excited to come back every year because it's the opportunity I have to get behind the wheel of a single-seater car in front of the Mexican public. It was a great experience, just like last year, and I'm happy to help the team,” Pato said in an express comment at the hospitality area, where he arrived after chatting with Arvid Lindblad , the Red Bull reserve driver who drove Max Verstappen 's car.

Pato was the second-best rookie in FP1, while Arvid was the fastest, setting the sixth-fastest time. Charles Leclerc took the lead in the standings, 0.107s behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, in a session in which nine of the 10 teams fielded rookie drivers. Sauber was the only team not to offer a modified lineup, with Nico Hulkenberg third-fastest.

This is his second time competing in the team's practice session at the racetrack. Last year, he completed about 15 minutes of practice and "six good laps," he says.

The Monterrey native continues to hold sway in IndyCar among the American public. For years, he has been questioned about his dream of being promoted to F1, however, today he is Arrow McLaren's top driver on that circuit, where he is the runner-up for the 2025 season. Pato continues to maintain that the best thing that can happen to him is winning the Indy500, while he attends to a flirtation with F1 that has lasted seven years.

Patricio remains the dream of the next Mexican in F1, and his fans support this. A group of about seven people from Querétaro, wearing duck hats, shared their feelings about Pato's 13th place finish in practice:

"He gave it his all, it's a good opportunity for him. Lando's car is tough for him because he's a very early racer, but I think he did well to get that spot. Pato, you always do very well. You had those first places in Indy, and I'm sure you'll do just as well or better in F1. We can't wait to see him in F1 once they promote him," fan Isaías told me.

“You are a source of national pride, thank you for representing Mexico,” another fan in the group emphasized.

“He did everything he could and since last year he's been showing how he's been positioning himself and improving,” a third fan concluded.

Pato O'Ward hasn't been in a McLaren since last year's Abu Dhabi weekend.

FP1 Results - Mexican GP:

Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18,380

Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:18,487

Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 1:18,760

Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:18,784

Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:18,916

Arvid Lindblad | Red Bull | 1:18,997

Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:19,038

Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:19,090

Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:19,331

Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:19,384

Isaac Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:19,409

Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:19,472

Duck O'Ward | McLaren | 1:19,680

Fred Vesti | Mercedes | 1:19,689

Paul Aron | Alpine | 1:19.862

Ryo Hirakawa | Haas | 1:20,073

Ayumu Iwasa | Racing Bulls | 1:20,153

Luke Browning | Williams | 1:20,310

Jack Crawford | Aston Martin | 1:20,371

Antonio Fuoco | Ferrari | 1:20,854

Facts about the Mexico GP:

The latest pole positions at the Mexican GP:

2024 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

2023 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2021 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)*

The latest winners of the Mexico GP:

2024 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Official attendance — Friday, October 24: 101,327 people